[Yeah, you are done.] Mask said as he looked at that sword coming in Tobey's way. He had the same reflexes that Tobey had while in demon form. For him, the speed of that attack was overwhelming enough, but for Tobey it probably was four times worst.
"Not today!" Tobey shouted as he regained his balance while still dashing forward. He was running directly towards that attack, which seemed to be something completely unreasonable, but not for him.
He was still holding his combat knife in a reversed grip in front of his face. Tobey could feel the impact of the knife against the sharp and fast blade aiming at his throat.
'If I measured it right...!'
Clang!
The loud sound echoed across the corridor, making all the Paladins widen their eyes. They barely could believe what they were seeing. In truth, they were sure that Tobey wouldn't be able to defend nor dodge that attack due to how slow he was in comparison to them. The Paladins knew that it was just a matter of time until he missed an attack and got struck since the difference in speed was so great.
Anyway, that was something that Tobey also took into consideration before starting to run past the lines of Paladins. He wouldn't do such a reckless move without calculating things properly first. He knew exactly what he needed to do in cases like that.
'They know that I am nimble and agile. Once they got the chance, they would need to unleash a decisive attack that would kill me right away. That's exactly what this guy just did! I gambled that they would aim to the head or throat, and it seemed like I guessed right!'
Nearly a centimeter or two of the blade was carved into his flesh. Just a little bit more would be enough to cut it through and mess up with his breathing, but the sword got stopped by Tobey's knife before it happened.
The knife's blade was clashing against the sword in a battle of friction in which the sword seemed to be winning. The knife was thoroughly cracked as if it was about to shatter at any time, Tobey's hand was trembling under the strength of that Paladin. In truth, he just was able to match his strength for two reasons, one of which he noticed just now.
'The momentum of my race paired with the skill I have wielding knifes brought me to this result we are now. Just by running at that speed and shifting all my weight forward as I did, the strength of my clash raised by a notch. Also, I realized now that these Paladins aren't wearing armor, which shows that they aren't at full power at all. They are dressing like normal people. They probably don't want to unleash their full power not to harm the other people in the floors below, just like me.'
[Just like your demon form, Paladins also need to change slightly in order to unleash their full power. It's not just the armor, but the aura around them and their golden eyes that constitute their complete transformation.] Mask added.
Tobey wasn't willing to keep clashing against someone far stronger than him forever. Instead, he spun his body to the side, parrying his blade away from his throat and making the Paladin lose balance. Since his guard was low now, Tobey would be able to kill him, but his knife wouldn't leave a scratch on him, unfortunately.
Instead, Tobey kicked his leg, sending it flying to the air. The Paladin fell headfirst on the ground.
This way, the detective dashed forward, resuming his race.
'How many of them are there, Mask!? How many do I still need to deal with?'
[Despite the four Paladins that you left behind in the previous corridor, there are other four on each, totalizing twelve. This one you just dealt with can be disregarded as well, so just eleven.]
'Got it! If that's how it is, then things will be easier to me!'
With that new glimpse of hope, Tobey didn't waste time by hesitating and ran with all his might. The Paladins followed suit, trying to get him while he was racing forward. Each of their attacks got really close to reaching Tobey, but the latter always found a way to leave with just a scratch.
Tobey wasn't able to see their attacks at all, but he could see the motion of their upper body, which helped him figure out from where the attack would come from.
Boxers read their opponent's slightest movements so they would be able to wave their bodies and dodge the attack before it even came. Most of them paid attention to the shoulder or elbow, so it was easier to avoid getting jabbed, others the hips or feet. This same logic applied to all sorts of situations where close combat was needed.
Tobey had experience in fighting and was focused enough to be able to do that. Due to his lack of speed and precision, he got wounded several times, but leaving that situation with some harm was something that he was prepared for since the start.
'There it is!' he thought, as he reached his last turn to the right, his heart racing like it never had before. At that point, his breathing was shallow, such was the tension in his body. 'The staircase is right there! I just need to deal with these four Paladins and I will be there! Go!'
[Be sure not to lose more than one arm at least, unfortunate bastard!] Mask prompted him, though that wasn't the most motivating phrase that he could come up with.
Tobey was feeling like his legs were going numb, even though between each turning there wasn't a long way to cover. However, the speed at which he dashed through the corridor was enough to make his legs get tired so soon.
The detective sprinted forward like a professional runner. He felt the joints of his toes and knees snapping as he did so, such was the force he applied there.
One Paladin holding a spear stood tall in his way, thrusting his weapon forward. Its speed was like that of a bullet crossing the air. Tobey could see from his fighting stance that he was going to do something of the sort, so he slightly waved his body to the side, seeing the spear passing millimeters away from his cheek, even leaving a scratch there.
Gritting his teeth, he fought his fear of being caught by another attack of his opponent and continued going forward faster than he could pull back the spear. With a swift step to the right, he dashed to the opposite side, dribbling the spearman and going past him like a lightning bolt.
As long as he left that man behind, another enemy imposed himself in his way, holding a longsword and swinging it downward.
Tobey's mind was still registering what was happening around at that point, but he couldn't afford to react too late there, or else he would die!
[Spin to the left, you bastard!] A strong demonic roar sounded in his mind, getting him to his wits again as that flash of bright light invaded his eyes.
Like a shooting star, the sword descended towards Tobey's head. The latter, though, kicked the ground and spun to his left. The sword could catch him and slash a considerate chunk of flesh off his shoulder. Nonetheless, the priority there was disengaging from combat, and that was exactly what his maneuvering did.
Unfortunately for him, his lead foot slipped slightly when he tried to step forward after that spin. Due to the lack of oxygen, high levels of adrenaline, and endless injuries all over his body, Tobey was feeling like that whole hotel spun along with him. He lost his sense of balance which led him to slip.
He was about to fall forward, and worse, there was a big axe coming horizontally to take him right in the middle of that fall. That axe belonged to the penultimate Paladin in his way.
'Survive! Survive! React, Tobey!'
With a loud grunt, he curled his body while throwing all his weight forward, so his fall wouldn't be so low.
As he somersaulted, the axe passed right above him, nearly ripping off his legs.
[There is another coming! Watch out!] Mask shouted. His voice seemed incredibly loud in Tobey's mind, waking his body and enhancing it with a last bit o strength and energy that the detective didn't even know he had remaining.
As Tobey got on his feet without losing momentum, he roared just as fiercely as his demonic self inside his mind did. He charged his knife and swung it forward, crashing against the sword of the last Paladin, the one that was right in front of the staircase.
The sound of his knife shattering completely and his wrist breaking seemed to echo throughout the hotell.
Tobey's head collided against the chin of the Paladin and his body slammed against him too as the latter's sword got slightly diverted to the left, allowing the detective to close in.
Like this, both of them fell down the staircase.